Cohen, D. K. (2011). Teaching and its predicaments. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Summary: Teaching and its Predicaments defines teaching as a profession based on human improvement. The early chapters define this concept of human improvement. Cohen argues that teachers improve humans in the same ways that psychotherapists improve humans, except that therapists improve humans that often want to, or even pay to improve themselves, whereas children in schools do not volunteer for improvement, but are forced into the equation. He believes that because of this idea human improvement is best achieved when teachers demonstrate empathy, persistence, knowledge of their students, back-up from their colleagues and the community when working with students. The book further defines problems in education and offers a look at solutions.
About the Author: David Cohen is a John Dewey Collegiate Professor of Education and Professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. His past work has included studies of the effects of schooling, reform of schools and teaching, and the relations between research and policy.
Chapter 2 Human Improvement Although “teaching seems plain enough… [as] knowledge and skills are transmitted,” teachers actually “try to improve their students’ minds, souls, and habits” (4). Much like therapy, teachers are challenged with the task of human improvement, in addition to so many other tasks. “Disputes about the best ways to instruct are as old as public education,” and the consistent “growth of formal education evidences expanding faith in the possibilities of human improvement and increasing doubt about teachers’ capacity to deliver the goods” (8).
Teachers are required to continue to improve, in knowledge and in practice, but the effort of human improvement requires student involvement. Teachers “can succeed only if their clients strive for and achieve success. If students… do not become practitioners of their own improvement, professionals cannot succeed” (10). Cohen explains that teachers who are eager to teach Shakespeare often encounter students who want to be auto mechanics or accountants. Therefore, the “purposes of the instruction must be negotiated and renegotiated as part of the instruction because [student] commitment is essential” (11). Teachers are dependent on students, which “imposes limits on skill and knowledge additional to those arising from limits on expertise” (12). In addition, teachers are “pulled in contrary directions…because their professional success depends on [student] improvement, there are powerful incentives to press for dramatic change, since the greater the accomplishment, the greater the teacher’s success” (13). Cohen argues that “only teachers, psychotherapists, and their colleagues work directly on other humans in order to improve their minds, skills, and organizations” and that this presents a unique set of challenges, that with awareness, teachers can overcome in order to be more effective (17).
Chapter 3 Teaching To teach is “the transmission of knowledge and skills… deliberately practices teaching is only one modest current in a great sea of informal and often unintended instruction” (25). Cohen believes that “many who engage in the occupation do not cultivate the practice of teaching… which is an unnatural act, a contrived alternative to letting learners “pick it up on their own”” (26-27). Teachers must be willing to put themselves in the shoes of their students, in order to teach to the students’ abilities.
Attentive teaching is seen when “teachers attend closely to their demonstrations and discussions with students and consider and reconsider instruction” (31). Attentive teaching is getting to know your students, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, and using that knowledge to inform instruction. Bridging the gap between teaching and learning occurs in three different terrains, through attentive and/or conventional instruction. 1. The knowledge that teachers extend to students, and how they extend it. 2. The organization of instructional discourse. 3. The teachers’ acquaintance with students’ knowledge. “When teachers treat knowledge as the outcome of a practice of inquiry, they open up uncertainty… [which] is essential to deep understanding, but it increases the difficulty and risks of instruction because students and teachers must operate in less clearly defined terrain and produce much more complex performances” (45).
As a result of this:
Students have more to learn and must work harder to learn
Students must learn to live with intellectual uncertainty and make disciplined use of it
Teachers cannot navigate such terrain well without deep knowledge of the material AND a broad range of perspectives on it.
Teachers must be able to find many ways through the material and change direction rapidly
Chapter 7 Improve Teaching Despite expertise, teaching is regularly inadequate, often because of uncertainty and unpredictability. Teachers “require supplements to expertise, most notably, hope, courage, and persistence” (190). Why has public education not helped teachers manage these predicaments in ways that support teaching practice? 1. Design of government (that which governs best governs least) 2. Government design- federalism, the separation of powers, and local control These features impeded development of educational infrastructure 3. No common curricula or framework Without common framework to make valid judgments about students’ work and no common vocabulary to with which to identify, investigate, discuss, and solve problems of teaching and learning, there is little common knowledge that could be systematized for use in education of teachers. Public education has not developed the means to turn teachers’ individual knowledge and skill into common knowledge, let alone determined a way to remember it, improve it, and make it available to novices.
Final Thoughts “Ambitious teaching is difficult in any circumstances, but it is especially difficult if schools lack the common knowledge, organization, and occupational culture that can support it” (193). This requires great support within schools and collaboration among faculty. Cohen presents the argument that education needs to have a common framework and a common language in order for the common standards to be successful. “Success of the Common Core will require much more capable state agencies, much less local control, and perhaps the creation of regional systems within or among states” (204). This is interesting, especially in terms of what is occurring in RI right now. Many districts are struggling with implementation, and feel that there is a lack of support being offered by the state.
“Education should be much more lively, thoughtful and human” (205). True, but is this possible with high stakes testing/test prep?
Teaching and its Predicaments
by David K. CohenCohen, D. K. (2011). Teaching and its predicaments. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Summary:
Teaching and its Predicaments defines teaching as a profession based on human improvement. The early chapters define this concept of human improvement. Cohen argues that teachers improve humans in the same ways that psychotherapists improve humans, except that therapists improve humans that often want to, or even pay to improve themselves, whereas children in schools do not volunteer for improvement, but are forced into the equation. He believes that because of this idea human improvement is best achieved when teachers demonstrate empathy, persistence, knowledge of their students, back-up from their colleagues and the community when working with students. The book further defines problems in education and offers a look at solutions.
About the Author:
David Cohen is a John Dewey Collegiate Professor of Education and Professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. His past work has included studies of the effects of schooling, reform of schools and teaching, and the relations between research and policy.
Chapter 2
Human Improvement
Although “teaching seems plain enough… [as] knowledge and skills are transmitted,” teachers actually “try to improve their students’ minds, souls, and habits” (4). Much like therapy, teachers are challenged with the task of human improvement, in addition to so many other tasks. “Disputes about the best ways to instruct are as old as public education,” and the consistent “growth of formal education evidences expanding faith in the possibilities of human improvement and increasing doubt about teachers’ capacity to deliver the goods” (8).
Teachers are required to continue to improve, in knowledge and in practice, but the effort of human improvement requires student involvement. Teachers “can succeed only if their clients strive for and achieve success. If students… do not become practitioners of their own improvement, professionals cannot succeed” (10). Cohen explains that teachers who are eager to teach Shakespeare often encounter students who want to be auto mechanics or accountants. Therefore, the “purposes of the instruction must be negotiated and renegotiated as part of the instruction because [student] commitment is essential” (11). Teachers are dependent on students, which “imposes limits on skill and knowledge additional to those arising from limits on expertise” (12). In addition, teachers are “pulled in contrary directions…because their professional success depends on [student] improvement, there are powerful incentives to press for dramatic change, since the greater the accomplishment, the greater the teacher’s success” (13). Cohen argues that “only teachers, psychotherapists, and their colleagues work directly on other humans in order to improve their minds, skills, and organizations” and that this presents a unique set of challenges, that with awareness, teachers can overcome in order to be more effective (17).
Chapter 3
Teaching
To teach is “the transmission of knowledge and skills… deliberately practices teaching is only one modest current in a great sea of informal and often unintended instruction” (25). Cohen believes that “many who engage in the occupation do not cultivate the practice of teaching… which is an unnatural act, a contrived alternative to letting learners “pick it up on their own”” (26-27). Teachers must be willing to put themselves in the shoes of their students, in order to teach to the students’ abilities.
Attentive teaching is seen when “teachers attend closely to their demonstrations and discussions with students and consider and reconsider instruction” (31). Attentive teaching is getting to know your students, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, and using that knowledge to inform instruction. Bridging the gap between teaching and learning occurs in three different terrains, through attentive and/or conventional instruction.
1. The knowledge that teachers extend to students, and how they extend it.
2. The organization of instructional discourse.
3. The teachers’ acquaintance with students’ knowledge.
“When teachers treat knowledge as the outcome of a practice of inquiry, they open up uncertainty… [which] is essential to deep understanding, but it increases the difficulty and risks of instruction because students and teachers must operate in less clearly defined terrain and produce much more complex performances” (45).
As a result of this:
Chapter 7
Improve Teaching
Despite expertise, teaching is regularly inadequate, often because of uncertainty and unpredictability. Teachers “require supplements to expertise, most notably, hope, courage, and persistence” (190).
Why has public education not helped teachers manage these predicaments in ways that support teaching practice?
1. Design of government (that which governs best governs least)
2. Government design- federalism, the separation of powers, and local control
These features impeded development of educational infrastructure
3. No common curricula or framework
Without common framework to make valid judgments about students’ work and no common vocabulary to with which to identify, investigate, discuss, and solve problems of teaching and learning, there is little common knowledge that could be systematized for use in education of teachers. Public education has not developed the means to turn teachers’ individual knowledge and skill into common knowledge, let alone determined a way to remember it, improve it, and make it available to novices.
Final Thoughts
“Ambitious teaching is difficult in any circumstances, but it is especially difficult if schools lack the common knowledge, organization, and occupational culture that can support it” (193). This requires great support within schools and collaboration among faculty. Cohen presents the argument that education needs to have a common framework and a common language in order for the common standards to be successful. “Success of the Common Core will require much more capable state agencies, much less local control, and perhaps the creation of regional systems within or among states” (204). This is interesting, especially in terms of what is occurring in RI right now. Many districts are struggling with implementation, and feel that there is a lack of support being offered by the state.
“Education should be much more lively, thoughtful and human” (205). True, but is this possible with high stakes testing/test prep?